There are many benefits to be gained by giving birth at home. The woman is in familiar surroundings and is therefore more relaxed allowing the birthing hormones to work properly. Labour is usually shorter, less painful and the mother is more likely to have a normal birth (so less need for ventouse, forceps or caesareans), she is more likely to breastfeed and less likely to suffer postnatal depression and she is more likely to report that she is satisfied with her experience. These claims are backed up by research and evidence can be found at www.nct.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/research/roepregnancy-birth

The British Government policy is to encourage homebirth www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_073312) and in the Netherlands 30% of babies are born at home – would they really be supportive of homebirth if it were so dangerous? A large retrospective cohort study from the Netherlands in 2009 http://www.welbornbaby.com/images/Home%20Birth%20Netherlands.pdf confirmed that the planned place of birth was not the main factor in contributing to perinatal morbidity and Low-risk women should be encouraged to “plan their birth at the place of their preference, provided the maternity care system is well equipped to underpin women’s choice”. Furthermore, also published in 2009 was another study, from Canada http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831130043.htm which showed that planned home birth in low risk women were comparable to hospital births. Both these studies concur with the latest US study http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100701072730.htm demonstrating that women who plan home births experienced significantly fewer medical interventions including epidural analgesia, electronic fetal heart rate monitoring, episiotomy, and operative vaginal and caesarean deliveries. Likewise, women intending home deliveries had fewer infections, perineal and vaginal lacerations, haemorrhages, and retained placentas. Data also showed that planned home births are characterized by less frequent premature and low birth weight infants.

This same American study is often quoted by obstetric practitioners because a conclusion read that infant mortality was trebled by planning a home birth, but suggested “it was because of an increased need for resuscitation among home births and therefore, the personnel, training, and equipment available for neonatal resuscitation represent other possible contributors to the excessive neonatal mortality rate among planned home births.” The methodology of this study has also been severely criticised www.nct.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/policy/choiceofplaceofbirth.

In conclusion, planned home births are very safe. It is the presence of trained midwives with correct and necessary equipment that is most important factor, rather than location, in regards to safety of mother and baby.